Air Force
South Dakota, Indiana Air National Guard’s 114th and 122nd Fighter Wings will exchange F-16s
Stars and Stripes
January 13, 2025
114th Fighter Wing and 122nd Fighter Wing F-16 Fighting Falcons are parked on the flight line prior to the morning sortie at Joe Foss Field, S.D., Jan. 8, 2025. The 114th Fighter Wing and 122nd Fighter Wing conduct a jet exchange for training. (Kyle St Pierre/U.S. National Guard)
The South Dakota Air National Guard’s 114th Fighter Wing based at Joe Foss Field recently agreed to exchange F-16 aircrafts with the Indiana Air National Guard’s 122nd Fighter Wing based in Fort Wayne, creating an opportunity for both units to work on teamwork, mission readiness and capabilities.
“By building good partners and relationships, we can work off each other’s strengths for anything that comes our way,” said Maj. Anthony Demma, director of operations, 175th Fighter Squadron.
With the 122nd FW training period approaching, they requested an exchange of a select number of F-16s from the 114th FW for their upgraded radar and avionic systems.
The 122nd FW began transitioning from the A-10 ThunderBolt II aircraft to the F-16 Fighting Falcons in October 2023. The Indiana-based unit requested assistance with their current mission in order to get pilots and maintainers the training and experience necessary to utilize their new aircraft.
“We have a wealth of knowledge here since we’ve been flying F-16s for multiple years now,” Demma said. “Their squadron recently converted to using the F-16s so this exchange will help ease the learning curve as they’re standing up their base.”